James Hamilton

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and Literature, letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". ...

FRCSE

FRCPE The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that set the specialty (medicine), specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was establish ...

(1767–1839) was a Scottish physician. He was a co-founder of the Lying-In Hospital in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

in 1791. He was president of the

Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that set the specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was established by royal charter i ...

from 1812 to 1815. He was professor of medicine and midwifery at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

from 1800 to 1839.

Life

He was born in

in 1767, the son of Dr Alexander Hamilton. He attended the High School in Edinburgh, and then studied medicine at the

(in part under his father). He also studied at

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...

and the

University of St Andrews The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, f ...

receiving his MD from the latter in 1792. In 1800, he succeeded his father as professor of midwifery at the

. In 1810 he was elected a member of the

Aesculapian Club The Aesculapian Club of Edinburgh is one of the oldest medical dining clubs in the world. It was founded in April 1773 by Dr. Andrew Duncan. Membership of the club is limited to 11 Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and ...

. In 1824, he was elected a fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was establis ...

, his proposer being

Andrew Coventry Andrew Coventry FRSE (1762–1830) was a Scottish agriculturist. He was the first Professor of Agriculture in Great Britain. Life Andrew Coventry, born in February 1762, was eldest son of Rev George Coventry, minister of Stitchell in Roxburghsh ...

. In 1825, he fell out with fellow Edinburgh doctor

James Crawford Gregory Dr James Crawford Gregory FRSE (1801–1832) was a Scottish physician and part of the Gregory family of notable physicians and scientists. His middle name is sometimes spelled as Craufurd. Life Gregory was born at 2 St Andrew Square in Edinburg ...

as to whether or not midwifery should be a compulsory component of the University course. He bypassed the Senate of the

on this issue and received consent directly from the

Lord Provost A lord provost () is the convenor of the local authority, the civic head and the lord-lieutenant of one of the principal cities of Scotland. The office is similar to that of a lord mayor. Only the cities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Stirlin ...

, William Trotter. When Gregory next met him he beat him ferociously with his cane. He was fined £100 for the assault. After he died, he was succeeded in his professorship by

James Young Simpson Sir James Young Simpson, 1st Baronet (7 June 1811 – 6 May 1870) was a Scottish obstetrician and a significant figure in the history of medicine. He was the first physician to demonstrate the anaesthetic properties of chloroform in humans and ...

Private life and death

He was married at least twice: firstly to Isabella (1770-1809) and then to Mary Anne (1775-1837). He lived at 23 St Andrew Square in

Edinburgh's New Town The New Town is a central area of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It was built in stages between 1767 and around 1850, and retains much of its original Neoclassicism, neo-classical and Georgian architecture, Georgian period architecture. Its ...

.Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1838-39 His younger brother was Rev

Henry Parr Hamilton Henry Parr Hamilton (3 April 1794 – 7 February 1880) was a Scots-born clergyman and mathematician, who was Dean of Salisbury for 30 years. Life He was born at Blandfield House, between Edinburgh and Leith, the son of Alexander Hamilton, Prof ...

. He died on 21 November 1839 and was buried with his family in St Cuthberts Churchyard in

. The family vault lies to the south-east of the church close to the entrance to

Princes Street Gardens Princes Street Gardens are two adjacent public parks in the centre of Edinburgh, Scotland, lying in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle. The Gardens were created in the 1820s following the long draining of the Nor Loch and building of the New Town, ...

Publications

*''Practical Observations on Various Subjects Related to Midwifery'' (1836)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, James 1767 births 1839 deaths Medical doctors from Edinburgh Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Scottish non-fiction writers Alumni of the University of St Andrews Academics of the University of Edinburgh 18th-century Scottish medical doctors 19th-century Scottish medical doctors